KIRKUS REVIEW

Magic, mystery, and love intertwine
and invite in this newest take on the “enchanted circus” trope.

Sisters raised by their abusive
father, a governor of a colonial backwater in a world vaguely reminiscent of
the late 18th century, Scarlett and Donatella each long for something more.
Scarlett, olive-skinned, dark of hair and attitude, longs for Caraval, the
fabled, magical circus helmed by the possibly evil Master Legend Santos, while
blonde, sunny Tella finds comfort in drink and the embraces of various men. A
slightly awkward start, with inconsistencies of attitude and setting, rapidly
smooths out when they, along with handsome “golden-brown” sailor Julian, flee
to Caraval on the eve of Scarlett’s arranged marriage. Tella disappears, and
Scarlett must navigate a nighttime world of magic to find her. Caraval delights
the senses: beautiful and scary, described in luscious prose, this is a show
readers will wish they could enter. Dresses can be purchased for secrets or
days of life; clocks can become doors; bridges move: this is an inventive and
original circus, laced with an edge of horror. A double love story, one sensual
romance and the other sisterly loyalty, anchors the plot, but the real star
here is Caraval and its secrets.

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